I Finally Crossed Joe Jackson Off My Bucket List! My Review + My (Incomplete) Collection (VIDEO)

This week, I crossed one off the ol' bucket list!  For years, seeing Joe Jackson live was one of those concerts I hoped would happen someday. After decades of listening to albums like Look Sharp!, I'm the Man, Night and Day, and so many others, I finally got the chance to see Joe Jackson in concert.

This was Jackson's first ever performance in Omaha. In this video, I share my thoughts on the show, the setlist, the atmosphere, and whether the experience lived up to all those years of anticipation. Did Joe Jackson still deliver? Was it worth the wait?

If you're a longtime Joe Jackson fan—or just curious about what his concerts are like today—join me as I look back on a truly memorable night.

My Interview with Jason Narducy (Bob Mould, Superchunk, Split Single, Sunny Day Real Estate)

This episode features my interview with musician Jason Narducy. He is probably best known as a member of Bob Mould's band, as well as for playing with Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, and his own bands, Verbow and Split Single. He also has a project with actor, Michael Shannon, where they cover the music of R.E.M. 

Jason recently conducted a solo, "living room" tour where he performs intimate shows inside of fan's homes. In advance of his appearance in Omaha, I spoke to Jason for a piece on my radio show, New Day Rising. After the piece aired and I caught Jason's show (which was awesome, btw), I realized that  I had about 20 minutes or so of interview that was left on the cutting room floor. And here we are...

Here is the full interview I conducted with Jason along with some clips and photos from his solo show, and from recent appearances with Bob Mould and Superchunk. Hope you dig it.

Rock of Aging: The Lost Art of Making the Perfect 80s Metal Mixtape (VIDEO)

In this episode of Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika reminisce about the lost art of making the perfect mixtape. Nobody who wasn't alive back in the 80s can relate. 

Whether you're recording your favorite songs from the radio for repeated playback, making a soundtrack for a road trip, trying to "turn on" a friend to some cool music, or trying to get the attention of a girl in your homeroom class, there are some basic rules you need to follow if you want to make a good mixtape. 

What's a good first song? Do the songs flow into one another smoothly or abruptly? How do you end Side A or begin Side B? What's a good closer? We offer up our best suggestions for making the ultimate 80s metal mixtape.

Dave & Erika then battle it out for the title of mixtape champion! We each created a 60 minute, 80s metal mixtape for you to review and compare. Then you must vote on who made the better tape!

Two Days of Rock in the Twin Cities! LIVE MUSIC: Weird Nightmare/Snowmen/Glom/Agnes Uncaged (VIDEO)

I just got back from a long planned trip to the twin cities: Minneapolis & St. Paul. It was two days of rock shows, record shopping, and general mayhem in Minnesota. I hit the Turf Club both nights, and loved all the bands I saw. 

Caught Weird Nightmare the first night. Fantastic band, fantastic show. The opener was also great. It was a new-er band from the cities called Agnes Uncaged. I bought their record, and have been listening to it a lot. Find out more: https://www.agnesuncaged.com/  

The second night I was finally able to see SNOWMEN. Been waiting for this one for a long time. This was the NYC band's first national tour, and St. Paul was only the second night! The band was fantastic, the crowd seemed to love it, and the guys were nice as hell when we finally met up. Snowmen were on tour with another NYC band called GLOM (https://glom.world/).   

The debut album from Snowmen, A Kick to the Face, is now available on vinyl. More information here: https://www.snowmenband.com/

In between the shows, I was able to hit the legendary CC Club in Minneapolis, and a few record shops, as well.

WEIRD NIGHTMARE at Turf Club in St. Paul, MN 5/27/26

 

Alex Edkins of Weird Nightmare

Weird Nightmare at Turf Club, St. Paul, MN 5/27/26

AGNES UNCAGED Live at Turf Club, St. Paul, MN 5/27/26 (PHOTOS/VIDEO)

Caught a brand new (to me) band last night at Turf Club in St. Paul. Agnes Uncaged opened for Weird Nightmare, and was absolutely amazing. I bought a copy of their newest LP, Cyanotype, and can't wait to throw it on the turntable. It was produced by John Agnello (Sonic Youth), so it will sound great, I'm sure. Trying to get the band to Omaha.

Agnes Uncaged at Turf Club, St. Paul, MN 5/27/26

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Julia Eubanks of Agnes Uncaged

I love it when a band you have never heard of is so impressive that I have to run (not walk) to the merch table to buy an album.

Viewer Picks: Lost 80s Hard Rock & Metal Albums: These Albums Should’ve Been Huge! Rock of Aging

In this episode of Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika revisit our most popular video - The Lost 80s Hard Rock and Metal Albums episode. Everyone seems to love to talk about that great album that no one else knows about; or that one album by your favorite band that everyone ignored, but you loved it. All music fans can relate.

At the end of that video, Erika asked the audience for their recommendations on other "lost" 80s hard rock albums that we should check out. We received hundreds of suggestions, and decided to do a video where we review YOUR top three picks. Which ones did you really think we needed to know about?

The three most suggested were: Shotgun Messiah "Shotgun Messiah" The Four Horsemen "Nobody Said It Was Easy" and Mindfunk "Mindfunk." We dove in!

For Dave's (Not So) Deep Dive, he offers a quick review of the brand new theatrical film about Iron Maiden, Burning Ambition. In Erika's Atmosphere Check, she returns to her record store days where the clerks had all the inside information about new music. Before the internet, before streaming, where else did you discover new music that wasn't on the radio or MTV? At the record store. In this instance, you get to be the cool person behind the counter making the suggestions about what to play or what to buy.

90s Soundtracks BETTER Than The Actual Movie! // Against The 90s Episode 4

Welcome to the fourth episode of the newest podcast from The Dark Stuff, Against The 90's. This is a show about 90s music from people who lived the decade—bought the records, watched the videos, went to the shows, and fell hard for the music. Each episode reexamines the music of the 90s by spotlighting the artists, albums, and movements that actually mattered—across alternative, rock, indie, and beyond.

For this episode, MarQ and Dave have each selected three 90s soundtracks that are better than the film they accompany. Action thrillers, comic book adaptations, superheroes...whatever. In these cases, the movie sucked, but the soundtrack is still on repeat.

Before we talk soundtracks, we have a quick concert review. MarQ and Dave caught 90s legend, Mark Robinson (Unrest, Air Miami), doing a solo show at Pageturners in Omaha. It was an unusual set in that he played 50 songs in 60 minutes. It was a whirlwind of all the best parts of his songs. Very unique. 

Less Than Zero: The Soundtrack That Defined the Dark Side of the ‘80s // Neon, Drugs & Great Music (Rock of Aging)

In this episode of Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika take a trip to the darker side of Hollywood in the late 1980s. The 1987 film, Less Than Zero, told a tale of extreme wealth and extreme behavior among a circle of friends navigating young adulthood. The movie starred some of the biggest actors of the era: Andrew McCarthy, Robert Downey Jr, Jami Gertz, and James Spader.

Neither of us was old enough to see this R-rated movie in the theater when it was released in 1987. The soundtrack, on the other hand, was an instant classic. Less Than Zero produced one of the best soundtracks of the entire decade!

Aerosmith, Slayer, Poison, LL Cool J, The Bangles, are just a few of the artists on this album. We go through the entire thing: the good, the bad, and the...meh. We get to the bottom of why this soundtrack is celebrated more than the actual movie.

For Dave's (Not So) Deep Dive, he is talking about the new heavy metal band from Brooklyn, Castle Rat (https://castlerat.com/). This doom metal band has been winning over crowds for years, and has just released a new album called, The Bestiary.

For Erika's Atmosphere Check, she explains the difference between 8pm - 10pm Hollywood in 1987, and 2am - 4am Hollywood in 1987. It could get pretty dark on those streets the later you're out there.

 

WEIRD NIGHTMARE: Interview with Alex Edkins // New Album 'Hoopla' and Tour! // METZ (Video)

 Hey everyone, and welcome to the new video. For today's video, I am joined by a very special guest, Alex Edkins of Weird Nightmare. Weird Nightmare has just released its second album, Hoopla. From Subpop.com,  "...from the psychedelic 1960s to the DIY 1990s and beyond. Hoopla, the catchy, melodic second LP from Edkins’s solo project Weird Nightmare, mixes and matches these influences in fun and exhilarating combinations, displaying his sophisticated musical mind."

Critics have made comparisons to similar psychedelic, fuzzed out, power-pop classics from Cheap Trick, The Byrds, Elvis Costello, The Kinks. The Flaming Lips, Spoon, The Replacements, and more. The album is a whirlwind of guitar pop styles and sounds. A true masterpiece.

Many of you will know Alex from his former (?) band, METZ (https://www.subpop.com/artists/metz). That band made some of the most intense, heavy, and noisy punk rock of the 2000s, and recorded five albums for Sub Pop. According to Alex, METZ are on an "indefinite hiatus." 

TWO SHOWS - ONE NIGHT: Ratboys & VIAL // Live Music // Punk Rock / Indie Rock

Hey everyone, and welcome to the new video. This week, I was faced with a real dilemma. There were two excellent concerts that I wanted to see; but seeing as they were both happening at the same time, I was not optimistic that I could see both. But, as the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way...

Ratboys, the indie rock band from Chicago, was playing at Waiting Room along with Villagerrr from Ohio.

Around the corner, at Reverb, Minneapolis punk rockers, VIAL, were playing along with Alex Vile and Social Cinema.

I had been wanting to see VIAL for about a year because I missed their last appearance in town. I last caught Ratboys in 2023, and really loved the show. Plus, the new record is great.

I managed to see "most" of both shows thanks to some beneficial timing. Every band I saw was excellent, and worth seeing again. It was a fantastic night!

Our 10 Favorite 80's Metal Music Videos // Rock of Aging // Headbangers Ball

In this episode of Rock of Aging, we crank the volume and fire up the TV for a celebration of our favorite 1980s metal music videos. Back when MTV ruled the culture, videos weren’t just promotion—they were events. Bigger hair, louder guitars, cinematic concepts, wild performances, and enough smoke machines to fill an arena.

Dave and Erika each count down the videos that defined the era for them—from arena-ready anthems and sleaze-soaked party clips to dark, dramatic epics and pure headbanging chaos. We talk about which bands understood the power of image, which videos still hold up today, and how visual style helped turn hard rock and metal bands into larger-than-life icons.

We each picked our five favorites -- and we had only one overlap! Can you guess which video?

For Dave's (Not So) Deep Dive, he is talking about a recent box set from the 80s band, Hüsker Dü. The collection, 1985: The Miracle Year, features professionally captured live recordings from this legendary band from throughout 1985. For Erika's Atmosphere Check, she brings us back to 1980s basement culture. If you had a basement in the 80s, you were no doubt camped out down there every Saturday night for Headbanger's Ball

Against The 90's Episode 3: "Lost" Albums from the 90s // Albums That Deserved More Love

Welcome to the third episode of the newest podcast from The Dark Stuff, Against The 90's. This is a show about 90s music from people who lived the decade—bought the records, watched the videos, went to the shows, and fell hard for the music. Each episode reexamines the music of the 90s by spotlighting the artists, albums, and movements that actually mattered—across alternative, rock, indie, and beyond.

For the new episode, Marq and Dave are discussing some "lost" albums of the 90s. Our definition of a lost album is one from an artist who never got their due. Never got the attention they deserved, nor the accolades for such fine work. There are million of these kinds of albums, we have each chosen three.

We discuss: The Fatima Mansions, Brenda Kahn, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, Pulsars, The Mommyheads, Overwhelming Colorfast

Rock of Aging Talks The Big 4 of Thrash: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax // metal (VIDEO)

 

In this episode of Rock of Aging, we are talking about the harder side of 80's metal! Erika and Dave debate The Big 4 of Thrash: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. Let's just say that we don't see eye to eye on this part of the 80s metal scene.

For Dave's (Not So) Deep Dive, he is talking about a new band from Ireland called SPRINTS who has just released an EP called 'Trickle Down.' For Erika's Atmosphere Check, she sums up how she sees the differences between the Hollywood glam scene and the heavier, thrash scene.

The Dark Stuff Wednesdays: What I’m Listening To This Week

Hey everyone, and welcome to the new video. Today is Wednesday, and this is the inaugural "What Am I Listening To, Wednesday?" I have four, fantastic new releases to discuss.

Suitor: https://suitor.bandcamp.com/album/saw-you-out-with-the-weeds-2

Cootie Catcher: https://cootiecatcher69.bandcamp.com/

Softcult: https://softcult.band/

Hair Person: https://hairperson.bandcamp.com/album/dorsia